Alienware Area-51m promises power and upgrades
Alienware Area-51m promises power and upgrades
1:53

Alienware Area-51m promises power and upgrades

Laptops
At what point does it make sense to stop using the term laptop? Does it apply to the new Alienware Area-51M, a hefty 17-inch system that requires two massive power bricks, and is really more desktop than laptop under its magnesium alloy exoskeleton? Inside a sharp looking laptop shell, you're gonna find the heart of a gaming desktop. On one level that means a desktop class CPU but on a deeper level it means bringing to a laptop the one thing that desktop gamers have always had a near monopoly on, serious upgradability. Most laptops even access to upgrade the RAM and storages- The Area 51 M goes far beyond that with a modular CPU and GPU design that allows you to replace both the processor and the graphics card although you'll have to wait for newer, compatible parts to come along. The industrial design is forward looking and minimalist enough to avoid the dorm room look of so many gaming PCs, but it also doesn't reinvent the wheel. The Magnesium alloy body is Almost ceramic feel to it and I love the look of the hex shaped fan vents on the bottom surface. As any [INAUDIBLE] real follower knows by now the [INAUDIBLE] command center software handles all the customized lighting control as well as some over clocking fan speed and game library options. One thing to watch out for The system includes two separate massive power supplies. The smaller one is fine for on the go use if you don't plan to do any gaming, while the larger one frankly does fine for most gaming in our [UNKNOWN] use, but try to even turn the system on with just one power brick plugged in and you'll be sternly warned that performance could suffer. I usually use both bricks at once and recommended, but man, that's a lot of extra mass either on your desk or underfoot, plus the power cables. There's gotta be a better way.

Up Next

Apple Has Big AI Plans for Mac — and iPhone, Too
240307-yt-omt-ai-siri-v03

Up Next

Apple Has Big AI Plans for Mac — and iPhone, Too

M3 MacBook Air Review: A Better Reason to Upgrade?
macbookair13-15-m3-clean

M3 MacBook Air Review: A Better Reason to Upgrade?

Apple Updates 13- and 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chips
macbookair-news-00-00-17-16-still002

Apple Updates 13- and 15-Inch MacBook Air With M3 Chips

Best Laptops of CES 2024
240110-site-best-laptops

Best Laptops of CES 2024

Best Laptops 2023: Budget Friendly
cnet-thumbnail-bestlist-site

Best Laptops 2023: Budget Friendly

Apple MacBook Pro 16- and 14-Inch, M3 Series Review
macbookpro1416-cnet

Apple MacBook Pro 16- and 14-Inch, M3 Series Review

Apple's M3 Sparks a New Era of Mac vs. PC Battles
231102-site-the-return-of-mac-vs-pc

Apple's M3 Sparks a New Era of Mac vs. PC Battles

M3 MacBook Pro, iMac Reactions
appleevent-scaryfast-reax-v1-clean

M3 MacBook Pro, iMac Reactions

First Look: Microsoft Surface Studio 2 and Surface Go 3 Laptops
surface-laptops-1080-seq-00-05-17-28-still005

First Look: Microsoft Surface Studio 2 and Surface Go 3 Laptops

15-Inch MacBook Air Review: Way Cheaper Than a Pro
macbookair15-00-06-56-12-still003

15-Inch MacBook Air Review: Way Cheaper Than a Pro

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
playstation5pro-leak-clean

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
nvidiastill

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
nvidia-vision-pro-image

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
robot-2

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
gettyimages-1178244881

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
playstation-portal-audio-options-thumb2

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
p1022441-mp4-15-35-32-23-still001

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro